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PESCHICI, Italy, May 15, 2008 (AFP) - Estonian cyclist Rene Mandri suffered a cracked vertebra, broken rib and pneumothorax following his crash on the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday, his AG2R team said.

Initial diagnosis suggestted that Mandri had suffered a punctured lung.

Mandri, 24, was part of a breakaway group at the head of the race when he crashed on a bend around the 76km mark of the 231km stage between Potenza and Peschici.